Lower Limb

The lower limb is subdivided by the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint into the regions:

buttock (gluteal)

thigh

leg (crus)

foot

The movements which occur at the hip joint are similar to those that take place at the shoulder joint except their range is more limited. Those at the knee joint occur mainly in one plane. When the knee is bent, it is said to be flexed; when it is straightened out it is extended. There is a small amount of rotation at the joint. The ankle joint is a simpler hinge type joint than the knee. When the foot is bent upwards, it is dorsiflexed or extended; when it is bent downwards, it is plantar flexed or flexed. Through the joints within the foot, the foot can be turned so that the sole of the foot is inwards, inversion or it can be turned so that the sole is turned outwards, eversion. The toes have limited movement when compared to the movements of the fingers, especially the thumb.

We will study the lower limb in the following order:

bones of the lower limb

anterior region of the thigh

medial region of the thigh

gluteal region

posterior region of the thigh

anterior region of the leg and dorsal region of foot

lateral region of the leg

posterior region of the leg

sole of the foot

ankle

joints of the lower limb

Bones of the Lower Limb

We will first just take a general look at the skeleton of the lower limb and then, consider the bones in more detail when we get to each region.

There are 32 bones found in the lower limb:

hip bone (1)

femur (1)

patella (1)

tibia (1)

fibula (1)

tarsals (8)

metatarsals (5)

proximal phalanges (5)

intermediate phalanges (5)

distal phalanges (4)

The big toe (hallux) only has 2 phalanges

There are also 2 extra bones in the foot, called sesamoid bones. These small bones develop within the tendon of the flexor hallucis longus muscle to the big toe.